Alpine Skiing

The Holderness School Alpine skiing program is a recognized leader in ski racing in independent schools, providing the best training and competition opportunities possible for athletes at every level.

Eastern/ USSA/ FIS ProgramThe Eastern/USSA/FIS program is dedicated to developing strong fundamental skills as well as providing access to and knowledge of the latest modern training and equipment. Our dedicated coaches help our skiers to achieve their highest potential as individuals and as ski racers, all while encouraging a life-long love of the sport.

The Eastern program is a year-round program with individualized training during the summer months and dry-land training opportunities during the school year. On-snow training begins after Thanksgiving break and continues through the beginning of March. Throughout the winter, skiers train at the Mittersill Training Slopes at Cannon Mountain, which in 2014 became a designated training venue for the US Ski Team.

Varsity ProgramThe Varsity Alpine Team is best suited for individuals with prior skiing experience, who can link parallel turns and who have an interest in racing. We also have skiers every year who begin with little experience and progress quickly to the competitive level.

Both varsity and junior varsity athletes train and compete as one team without any major distinction between levels. Following the basic pedagogy of the USSA’s alpine race training system, daily on-snow workouts are comprised of free skiing, drill-based free skiing, and gate training sessions. There are also occasional dryland training sessions on campus that take place under the supervision of the school’s physical trainer. Video review and ski tuning are a regular part of our routine as well.

The goal of the team is for all members of the team to feel equally valued and recognized for their efforts. We provide a positive environment in which student-athletes can grow, not just athletically but as members of the team and the Holderness community.

The season starts when students return from Thanksgiving break. Monday through Friday students train at Loon Mountain on 61 trails and 322 acres of groomed trails. The team's primary focus is slalom and giant salmon, and they compete on Wednesdays against other prep schools in the Lakes Region.